Few girls have unlimited time to spend in front of the mirror every morning – most of us are battling for that precious ten minutes of bathroom time with roommates or siblings. But a lack of time is no excuse for tired, puffy eyes and messy hair!

Invest in products that do more than one thing, saving you time, money, and space in your makeup bag. Here are the ones we can’t live without:

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eyeliner, Eye Shadow, & Highlighter - $8.95 at drugstores

This 3-in-1 tool is all you need for everyday gorgeous eyes. The applicator has two color-coordinated shadows that are specially formulated to enhance your eye color (you can pick from  four different color combination). One end features a pointed tip for lining and contouring, the other end a rounded tip for shadowing and highlighting. For a product that does so much, the price can’t be beat!

Sephora Brand Double-Ended Perfect Complexion Brush - $35 at Sephora

Apply your powder foundation with this pretty pink brush, then flip it around and use the other end to put on cream concealer. This tool is a splurge, but it’s easy to use and creates a near-flawless look using cream, liquid, and powder products.

Benefit Posietint - $28 at Sephora

This universally-flattering sheer pink stain can be used on both cheeks and lips. The color blends easily and looks very natural. We loved the way it made our cheeks look lightly flushed while giving our lips the perfect hint of pretty color.

Mark Hook Ups – $5.50 or $8 each at meetmark.com

We love Mark Hook Ups because you can customize them in thousands of ways. Pick the two products you want to be connected (make up products like lip gloss and mascara are $5.50, skin care products like eye gel and blemish treatments are $8) and get a free connector. Our favorite combination is the Winkstick Hook Up Eye Shadow Stick and the Scandalash Hook Up Mascara because together they made our eyes pretty and natural-looking.

Makeup cases have come a long way since your 6th grade pink plastic Caboodle and I’m not going to criticize you if you still have it sitting on your dresser, but perhaps you could upgrade your travel style for this occasion. Below are some great cases and bags to help bring your necessities abroad.

Mark expandable black cosmetics case- by Avon- $12: This compact black case has an adorable pink lining and with one zip it expands even further to store more beauty supplies. It is super cheap and even includes a pocket to store full sized brushes.

Bare Escentuals Wine Train Case- $40: This train case can store your makeup at home and also on-the-go. The plastic storage unit inside comes out so that it can be cleaned. It is made of shiny, merlot-colored, polka dotted fabric and is perfect for storing all kinds of makeup and brushes.

e.l.f Metallic makeup organizer- $10: Like all things e.l.f, this makeup organizer is cute and cheap. It has magnetic closure and several pockets, and comes in four metallic shades…I’d go with bronze to match your beach tan.

Kate Spade Lawn Chair Cosmetics Case- $93.99: If you have the money to splurge, this Kate Spade bag is gorgeous and will prove to be a good purchase for years to come. At Overstock.com this bag is cheaper than usual and is pretty large so it can store your other toiletry needs as well.

Betseyville On The Prowl Cosmetics Case- $16.99: This Betsey Johnson colorful zebra printed cosmetics case is super small, so it’s probably better for weekend trips. So if you’ve got a short trip planned this break, check it out.

Vera Bradley Travel Cosmetics Case- $48: This makeup case is really roomy with 8 divided areas. Like all Vera Bradley items, this case is bright and springy and comes in 21 patterns.

Another travel tip: When you don’t want to carry your big shampoo bottles and hair gels check out these mini plastic cases from the container store. They are sturdy, perfectly sized, and super cheap. Get a mini shampoo bottle for only $1.29. Just remember to check all these items at the airport- 3oz is the liquid maximum for carry on bags! Have fun ladies, I’ll be thinking of you as I suffer in this north east tundra…

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with roses?

At Chanel’s spring 2009 couture show, models walked the runway adorned with paper roses in their hair. At Valentino and Moschino, dresses and accessories featured oversized origami-like roses. Looks like Carrie Bradshaw’s flower obsession is back…and bigger than ever.

If you don’t have a real bouquet to flaunt this weekend, throw on a rose embellished headband or pair of heels. Or pick up some rose-inspired fashion; you can add a little Spring to your wardrobe and stay one fashionable step ahead of your friends who are still trying to pull off the whole bow trend.

Here are some affordable, sophisticated and cute rose accessories:

Topshop

mark.

Forever 21

Or, if you want to take the trend all the way, here are some cute tops and a dress. If you decide to wear something with the rose embellishment, be sure to pair it with something classic and simple, like dark jeans and a simple pump.  You don’t want to overdo the look. And, please, do not go rose crazy. A dozen roses from your Valentine may be great, but you don’t need a dozen on your on your outfit.

Cocktail rings add elegance and glamour to any ensemble. Celebs like Catherine Heigl and Jamie Lynn Sigler rock them on the red carpet (above), but you don’t need a formal event to show off your bling. Cocktail rings can make a simple outfit, like a sweater with jeans and heels, pop as well.

According to WiseGeek.com, cocktail rings became popular during US prohibition. At cocktail parties, they flaunted the fact that women were drinking illegally (but fashionably). Prohibition is no longer in effect (thank GOD), but big, bold cocktail rings are still in style. And we are grateful.

For most rings, the bigger the stone the better. You want to draw attention to it! However, to keep it from looking ridiculous if you have small hands, search for rings that don’t extend any farther than the bottom of your knuckle. And while most people wear cocktail rings on their right ring finger, they look chic when worn on your index finger, too.

Don’t blow all your cash on a cocktail ring, though! You can find fake stones for almost nothing, and many real stones for under $200, if you feel like a splurge. Here are some rings that fit every budget:

The holidays are upon us, and you know what that means — it’s time to give and to get! Okay, they’re about more than that, but who doesn’t want the latest and greatest clothing and accessories? That’s what we thought. Read on to discover this week’s edition of The Best Holiday Gifts, featuring fabulous jewelry!

One Pearl Pink Potato Pearl Strand

Forget your grandma’s pearls — this necklace is so the way of the future. Tiny mismatched pink pearls are accented by a single oversized grey pearl in a strand so long, you can wrap it three times for added glamour!

$75 at onepearl.com

Rachel Leigh Gumball Ring in Plum

This handmade ring is sure to garner tons of attention when it sits atop your index finger — yes, your index finger, not your ring one! But be careful not to chew on this gumball, we wouldn’t want you to chip your teeth!

$68 at rachelleigh.com

Natha Perkins Copper Nests Earrings

We haven’t seen a pair of earrings this inventive in quite some time. Intricately wound bands of copper wire surround faceted crystal studs, forming a sort of target silhouette that just looks gorgeous dangling from the ear.

$80 at nathaperkins.com

mark Make Change Convertible Earrings

Want to feel like a fashion designer? Then these are totally the right pair of earrings for you. The hoop contains an oversized teardrop-shaped silhouette and a faceted jewel hanging from a long chain, each of which can be worn together or separately. You can make them a style all your own!

$12 at meetmark.com

Prismera Design Yucca Hoop Necklace

The yucca is probably one of the most intriguing in the floral family, with its ability to lift its face to the moon at night and emit a heady fragrance. So it only stands to reason that this delicate necklace is unbelievably beautiful.

$64 at prismeradesign.com

Bellissima Jewelry Design Seaside Earrings

Aqua chalcedony drops dangle in between myriad ring-linked gold chains, creating a silhouette that’s somehow both sweet and sophisticated all at once.

$62 at bellissimajewelrydesign.com

Betty Belts Chelsea Necklace

This necklace is totally vintage-y, with an intricately cut red heart hanging from a cool leather cord. We totally wish we could go back to the 60s with it — but we’ll settle for right here, right now.

$24 at bettybelts.com

[Do you ever feel like you can’t pull something off? Have trendy pieces in your closet that you would never have the courage to actually wear out? Well take those pieces out, shake off the dust, and continue reading! In this series, I will choose a different piece that can be difficult to incorporate into an outfit and give you ideas on how to wear it. If there’s anything you would like to read about in the future, please leave a comment!]

Headbands of all kinds are really in right now, thanks to Leighton Meester’s character Blair Waldorf on “Gossip Girl.” Headbands are simple accessories which can make you look instantly 10x cuter. Plus, they can hide those greasy roots you have from living in the library this week sans showers.

Headbands with bows are really girly and youthful. While they can look a little childish, worn with the right things they can make your outfit look polished. Blair Waldorf (above), for example, pairs her headband with a sophisticated blazer and collared shirt. This is definitely not something a little girl would wear. Usually something simple, like a sweater or solid color dress, would also work well.

When rocking the headband, make sure not to go too matchy-matchy, or too over the top. Yes, Blair can pull it all off, but she is not real. You are.

Here are some great bow headband options. Click to learn more:

Headbands with a little glam are a great way to add something extra to your look. And there are so many ways to do it: you can pair them with something simple, like a black dress, or add even more glitz to an already awesome ensemble. You can wear one with your hair down, or throw it on over a messy-chic bun.

There are bedazzled headbands all over the place with everything from rhinestones to pearls to sparkles and so much more. These are some of my favorites:

For more cute headbands, check out Head Games Online – they have a ton of them, plus other super cute hair accessories.

But there’s a problem with most self-tanners I’ve tried. And that problem is that they suck, in various degrees and respects.

I had high hopes for Jergen’s Natural Glow, the daily moisturizer that gives you gradual, but the color was so “gradual” that I gave up my daily application routine after a week of no results. I decided to try Mark bronzing self-tanner and spent the next day furiously scrubbing it off after looking like my tan was applied by a child painting with watercolors.

And Victoria’s Secret must be that she moonlights as an exotic dancer, because the only glow VS Bare Bronze gave me was that orange “my work uniform consists of 4-inch clear heels and glitter” glow.

I’d been mourning the loss of my summer tan on a daily basis since the beginning of the semester, until I came upon Elizabeth Grant Soleil Smart tinted leg lotion. And after a week of slathering it on, I’m just about ready to bathe in it.

I was a little dubious at first of their website’s claim that Soleil Smart “improves the appearance of irregular skin tone and gives the legs a more shapely and smooth look”—hey, it’s taken me months of running to achieve what’s still a far cry from “shapely” legs—but I decided to give it a shot.

It goes on with a lot of color, so you’re not left with splotchy spots, but the result is natural and sexy. And it’s perfect for lazy gals like me; the golden glow is instant, so you can lay it on right before that big date. In fact, that’s exactly what I did last night.

The result? I swear he’s straight, but my new boy-toy actually said “Wow, you’re not wearing stockings? You have really nice skin tone!” Seriously now—I don’t even get that reaction when I am wearing stockings.

Best of all? Soleil Smart doesn’t rub off on white sheets and leave a nasty brown body-outline when you wake up in the morning, so slap some of it on those ghostly gams of yours and let him take a closer look.